Weather by Jenny Offill: An exploration of ‘eco-anxiety’ and the challenges it poses to medical practice
‘Suppose you go with some friends to the park to have a picnic. This act is, of course, morally neutral, but if you witness a group of children drowning in the lake and continue to eat and chat, you have become monstrous.’ [1]
Building on this analogy, Jenny Offill characterizes the curious claustrophobic myopia that has begun to afflict modern society in the global North as it increasingly acknowledges the likely impacts of climate change: how is it possible to go about tending one’s own garden when the world beyond is drowning, drying, or burning? Offill explores this perpetual sense of impending doom through the fictitious Lizzie Benson, a dissatisfied librarian in New York who acts as an unofficial shrink to her isolated mother and her brother, a recovering addict. Despite her capacity as a familial lonely hearts advisor, Lizzie is struggling to piece together her own existential puzzle. Is she a good enough wife and mother? What happened to her career prospects? Should she choose the more expensive (less reliable) local taxi service, or just succumb to Uber? Is it worth stock piling chewing-gum now for the post-collapse society (given that it can be used to boost morale and also as bait for fishing)? Will she always be afraid of the dentist?
In the midst of these musings, Lizzie accepts an opportunity as a part-time PA for her former mentor Sylvia Liller. Sylvia is the host of a well-known podcast called Hell and High Water which tackles burning questions thrown into the audio stratosphere by the general public: Do angels need sleep? What would it mean to bioengineer humans to be more efficient? What are the best ways to prepare my children for the coming chaos? How do you maintain your optimism? The autofiction amalgamation of podcast correspondence, chapters from ‘Doomstead’ preparation manuals (‘practical’ bedtime reading), and the musings of a woman enabled and entrapped by capitalist society are haunting, witty and poignant.
Weather is, then, dominated and driven by ‘eco-anxiety’, first defined by the American Psychological Association in 2017 as ‘a chronic fear of environmental doom’. Eco-anxiety is spreading like wildfire. [2] This is perhaps unsurprising given that the 2019 IPPC report called for a minimum 45% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 to prevent unprecedented global consequences. [3] It appears that eco-anxiety as an existential phenomenon is limited mainly to developed countries that suffer less from the direct effects of climate change. [4] That is not to dismiss the trauma suffered by those in less developed countries who bear much of the direct impact of rising global temperatures. Particularly in light of current global circumstances, it is clear that poverty and wealth inequality are both a consequence of increasing ‘natural’ disasters, and also a driving force behind them. It only takes a quick Google search to begin to scratch the surface of the (metaphorical) iceberg: in 2019 Cyclone Idai claimed the lives of more than 1000 people across Southern Africa, droughts in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia have left 15 million people in need of aid and last year floods in India, Nepal and Bangladesh left over 12 million people homeless. [5] However, as Cianconi et al explain, these immediately life-threatening situations have an overarchingly acute impact on the victim — vulnerable people are more likely to suffer from direct physical and consequentially related mental injuries. [6] Although acute impacts will give way to long term impacts such as resource scarcity, climate migration and displacement, these are largely phenomenal as opposed to philosophical concerns.
The eco-anxiety encapsulated by Offill can be grossly categorised as a subacute impact of climate change. These impacts are indirect effects of climate change and relate largely to the survival of the planet and human species as a whole. [6] This largely pervades Western countries that are, for the most part, relatively shielded from the direct physical impacts of climate change. The aspect of eco-anxiety that pervades Offill’s novel does not stem from an immediate fear of natural disaster — though the two are not mutually exclusive concepts — but rather from uncertainty about the future. Much like the weather itself, climate change is not a linear system but one that causes oscillations and fluctuations in timescales that are impossible to predict. This creates uncertainty, which in turn creates internal panic. However, as Greta Thunberg noted in her speech at Davos in 2019, panic is not necessarily a destructive emotion and can be desirable if it incites a population to action. [7] Additionally, the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion have also begun to offer ‘Grief Workshops’ which are group sessions designed to help individuals process internal anxiety around climate change. Using techniques known as ‘grief tending’, these workshops aim to harness negative emotions such as grief and panic and transform them into the stable foundations necessary to build a sustainable, regenerative culture. [8]
The impact of climate change on mental health is an emerging field in medical research. Although environmental concern may be desirable as a driving force for more sustainable living, it becomes detrimental when it negatively affects an individual’s psychological wellbeing to the extent that they are unable to function. Eco-anxiety is not classified in the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases), meaning that it is not officially recognised by the medical profession as a mental health condition. [9] However, with a recent YouGov poll demonstrating that 70% of 18–24 year olds feel more worried about climate change than they did in the preceding year, the medical profession has a professional responsibility to offer advice on how best to constructively harness the potential of eco-anxiety at an individual level. [10] This may include:
1. Community: studies have shown that being part of small-scale local action (e.g. local rallies, community orchard projects etc.) can help to combat the feelings of overwhelming powerlessness that often accompanies eco-anxiety. Examples of local projects in Bristol include: Horfield Organic Community Orchard, Black and Green Ambassadors for Bristol and Online Green Mingle August 2020. [11]
2. Carbon Footprint: try and make small, achievable changes that factor in ways to reduce carbon emissions. For example, take public transport where possible, walk more and aim to reduce meat consumption. This will contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gases and will have a positive impact on general health.
3. Chat: talk to friends and family about how you feel and raise awareness of climate change within your sphere of influence. This will help you to feel more connected. Equally, write to your local MP about your concerns and ask them about their plans for sustainable development in your local community.
Much like its natural counterpart, Weather offers a literary complement to the chaotic, scattered and unpredictable approach that global powers are adopting towards climate change. Although it offers no solutions, Offill’s reflection on a world adrift forces readers to confront the change that is happening all around us. Weather is a brilliant and bleak love letter to a society teetering on the brink of self-destruction: ‘ Roses are red, violets are blue, I feel slightly less dread when I am with you.’ [1]
Jasmine Virk, Junior Doctor, 2020
References
1. Offill, Jenny, Weather (London: Granta Books, 2020)
2. Schlanger, Zoë, “Climate Change Is Causing PTSD, Anxiety, And Depression On A Mass Scale”, Quartz, 2017 <https://qz.com/948909/ecoanxiety-the-american-psychological-association-says-climate-change-is-causing-ptsd-anxiety-and-depression-on-a-mass-scale/> [Accessed 17 July 2020]
3. IPPC, “Special Report: Global Warming of 1.5°C”, IPPC, 2019 <https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/> [Accessed 17 July 2020]
4. Nugent, Ciara, “Terrified Of Climate Change? You Might Have Eco-Anxiety”, Time, 2019 <https://time.com/5735388/climate-change-eco-anxiety/> [Accessed 17 July 2020]
5. “5 Natural Disasters That Beg For Climate Action | Oxfam International”, Oxfam International, 2020 <https://www.oxfam.org/en/5-natural-disasters-beg-climate-action> [Accessed 17 July 2020]
6. Cianconi, Paolo, Sophia Betrò, and Luigi Janiri, “The Impact Of Climate Change On Mental Health: A Systematic Descriptive Review”, Frontiers In Psychiatry, 11 (2020) <https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00074>
7. Thunberg, Greta, “‘I Want You To Panic’: 16-Year-Old Issues Climate Warning At Davos — Video”, The Guardian, 2020 <https://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2019/jan/25/i-want-you-to-panic-16-year-old-greta-thunberg-issues-climate-warning-at-davos-video> [Accessed 17 July 2020]
8. “Extinction Rebellion: Feeling Nature — Grief Tending Workshop — Extinction Rebellion UK”, Extinction Rebellion UK, 2020 <https://extinctionrebellion.uk/event/extinction-rebellion-feeling-nature-grief-tending-workshop/> [Accessed 21 July 2020]
9. “ICD-10 Version:2019”, Icd.Who.Int, 2020 <https://icd.who.int/browse10/2019/en> [Accessed 17 July 2020]
10. ‘Over Two-Thirds Of Young People Experience Eco-Anxiety As Friends Of The Earth Launch Campaign To Turn Anxiety Into Action | Friends Of The Earth’, Friends Of The Earth, 2020 <https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate-change/over-twothirds-young-people-experience-ecoanxiety-friends-earth-launch-campaign-turn> [Accessed 17 July 2020]
11. Evans, Milly, Patient.Info, 2020 <https://patient.info/news-and-features/climate-change-eco-anxiety-how-to-cope> [Accessed 17 July 2020]
